The Sword in the Stone
by SummerW
Summary: There's a new arrival in Camelot and she seems innocent enough but all those who come to Camelot bring their secrets. Meanwhile, tales of the sword in the stone reach Arthur's ears and as the new King, he is eager to be the one who wins it. Set after S3
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **_My first Merlin fic, kind of a little story for me to make the time between now and season 4 come faster. :) This fic is set straight after season 3 and should be fully compliant, so if you haven't seen that far, just to warn you, there may be spoilers. _Aoibhinn_ is pronounced can be pronounced AY-VEEN or E-VEEN, in case you want to know. Anyway, let's get on with it!

* * *

**The Sword in the Stone**

**Chapter 1: Princess**

Merlin yawned. How could there be so many people, so many problems in Camelot? _And_ not even the big, nice problems that you could swing your sword at to make go away. Just the small, everyday ones that mean nothing to a Prince. Or his loyal servant. When would people ever learn that he didn't _care _if a neighbours chicken woke them up at three in the morning, or if their children did not want to eat their vegetables?

It was that kind of day, the dreaded once a month event were the king would sit in the castle surrounded by his knights and normal, everyday people could come and see him to let him know about their problems in life. Apparently it improved relations between the royals and their people. Merlin however, believed it was only designed to make people like him fall asleep.

He had been standing in the Courtroom since dawn, listening and watching the endless stream of people as they came and went. It was now almost dusk and the last person, an old woman from a nearby village, had just finished talking with Arthur. "Thank goodness it's over." he muttered, yawning again.

"You think _you_ have it bad?" Arthur asked, coming to stand beside him. "You only have to listen to them! I actually have to _help _them!"

"I wouldn't have had to come at all if you hadn't forced me too!"

"I second that." a tired voice belonging to the knight Gwaine said from the corner of the room. Arthur chose to ignore him.

"Well if I needed to put up with all this rubbish, so do you."

Merlin eyed the prince warily. "You are going to be the worst king this place has ever had."

"And _why_ would you say that, Merlin?"

"You haven't even got enough heart to let me have a day off."

Arthur chuckled softly, slapping his servant on the shoulder. "Don't be such an idiot Merlin. I am going to make the best king there ever was."

Merlin smiled, dodging another shot aimed at him. The smile didn't last long however, as the door to the room opened again, which could only mean one thing:

Arthur groaned. "Oh not again."

"Another to see you, my Lord." a courtier announced as he ran into the room, taking a place beside his king.

"I don't see anyone, Peter." Arthur said, turning away from Merlin and positioning himself in the correct manner for receiving guests.

"Should be along in a second, sir." the man replied, making several of the knights moan.

"We were _supposed_ to finish an hour ago. Just tell them to go away." Gwaine said, finally giving up and flopping down to the ground. The courtier glanced nervously at him.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, my Lord. I don't think she came to ask for one of the usual services."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Just _who _are you talking about?" Said who answered before the man could.

"That would be me."

Every man in the room automatically turned to the source of the voice, a young, fair-haired woman standing in the massive doorway of the hall. It was obvious that she was very beautiful, but at the moment she didn't look it. Her hair was gathered in a matted plait and the green cloak she was wearing was splattered with muck. Although she held herself upright, Merlin could tell that she was exhausted and ill. He frowned at her worriedly but smiled slightly as Gwaine let out a low whistle before jolting up, standing as tall as possible. Knight or not, that man would do anything to impress a lady.

"I am sorry to turn up unannounced, especially when you do not wish to have company, but sometimes these things cannot be helped. You are Prince Arthur, son of King Uther?" she asked, speaking fluently and eloquently, though Merlin noticed that she did not speak with the same accent they did.

"I am. Who are you, lady?" Arthur asked, taking a step towards her, holding his hand out to catch hers. She took it and smiled slightly.

"My name is Aoibhinn, daughter of Diarmuid, King of east Hibernia. I believe my father and yours were once upon a time great allies and friends, but are now distanced due to an old feud." her smile disappeared. "My country is now at war with ourselves, and it is no longer safe in Hibernia for a woman such as myself, the daughter of a hated king. My father sent me across the Sea, to here, in the hope that yours would forget their old dispute but instead remember their friendship, and also take me in and protect me while the war continues. I do not wish to be a burden, my Lord, but I had no where else to go."

There was silence in the chamber for some moments as everyone digested this information. Merlin wasn't exactly sure what to make of the girl: they still knew very little about her, and how could they be sure she was not lying? She wouldn't be the first to come in front of the King of Camelot with a false story, and if Gaius had have been standing in the room that day too, Merlin knew he would of said the same.

"Well Lady Aoibhinn, I am sorry to hear about your land. I remember hearing my father talk about your's, certainly more than once and as the current leader of Camelot I am willing to let the past go. I'm sure it shall not be a problem finding a place for you to stay. Peter shall take you to one of the Western Chambers where you can rest for this evening. I fear you need it."

The woman smiled graciously and bowed before leaving the room with the courtier. Arthur sighed and Merlin, taking this as his opportunity, walked up to him.

"I've got a bad feeling about this Arthur."

"You're just paranoid, Merlin, like always. Everything's fine."

* * *

Gaius was just sitting down for dinner when Merlin finally arrived home that night. Gaius stood in greeting, grabbing another bowl and dishing out some stew for the boy to eat.

"Have an interesting day, Merlin? I was beginning to wonder when you'd ever come home." he said, watching as Merlin collapsed into the seat opposite him and reached for the bowl.

"Interesting is one word for it." he mumbled, gulping some of the food down.

"I told you how boring open-court days could be. It's a blessing Arthur doesn't make me go like Uther did." "No, he just makes me go in your stead."

Gaius smiled, watching Merlin eat. "If it helps, I'm sure you helped lots of people today."

Merlin snorted. "Yes. Thanks to us their chickens will be safe for yet another month." Gaius laughed at the expression on Merlin's face. "Well, sometimes these days can be interesting." "Actually, I think today was one of those days." "What do you mean?"

"What do you know of a King in Hibernia called Diarmuid, Gaius?"

Gaius laid down his spoon, his brow furrowed. "King Diarmuid? Why do you want to know about him?"

"A girl turned up this evening, claiming to be his daughter and asking for shelter and peace from their war. She mentioned that Diarmuid and Uther were once good friends, so I thought you might know." "Really? That _is_ interesting, Merlin."

"You know of something then?"

Gaius leaned back against his chair and placed his hands on the table clasped together. "Uther was indeed friends with Diarmuid, but a long, long time ago, back before magic was forbidden in Camelot."

"What happened?"

"Well, I don't know all the details, but if I remember right, Diarmuid was a big fan of magic, thought it brilliant and loved to bask in the presence of those who did so. When he found out that Uther was banning it, he tried to convince his old friend not so, but when Uther refused, and some very harsh things were said. Uther then forbade Diarmuid from returning to Camelot as he believes any supporter of magic is as bad as a user and if I am correct, they have never been in contact since."

"Do you think that his daughter is lying, that she really has some secret agenda?"

"I don't know, Merlin. I haven't even met the girl. She may be honest and in trouble, but let's just keep a close eye on her, shall we?"

* * *

**_A/N: _**Thanks for reading and please review! It means a lot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Grand Tour of Camelot**

Gwen walked down the corridors of the castle, playing with the basket of flowers she had just collected for Arthur's chambers, a small morning gift he had given to her after missing her all day yesterday. She had visited him early in the morning, at his own request, to talk about a new arrival in the castle, a Princess. He had asked Gwen to befriend her (if possible) while she stayed in Camelot and to take her mind off her troubles but Gwen wasn't sure she could do that. Most of the noble and royal women that came to Camelot wanted nothing to do with her. She was, as they often said, a glorified maid. They never understood why Gwen, a simple common girl, lived in the castle or what kind of fascination she could possibly hold for the recently crowned King. There were some horrible stories going around, about witchcraft and gold and though Gwen knew they shouldn't, these things bothered her. She had once thought that when Arthur became king, everything would be okay. But this was not so. Many people still disapproved of their relationship, spoke about it in front of her and behind her back and after being crowned, Arthur had had too many problems with the Kingdom to think about people being silly to Gwen. But it still bothered her. Why couldn't she love Arthur? Or be a Queen? She may not be from a background with wealth, but she was a good person with an honest heart. Was that not enough?

So lost in her thoughts was Gwen that she did not notice the girl she had started thinking about wandering down the halls until they both collided with each other. The flowers Gwen had been carrying went everywhere as she fell backwards and onto the hard floor.

"Oh I am so sorry! Please forgive me, I did not mean to hit you, I was not looking where I was going and…Oh! All your lovely flowers! I am such a fool!" an unfamiliar voice exclaimed, causing Gwen to look up.

She had never met the girl before, but from looking at her Gwen guessed that they were of the same age. She was beautiful to look at, she thought, tall and ever-so thin, with flowing fair hair that reached down her back and even fairer skin. The nicest thing about her though Gwen decided, were her golden eyes, which seemed to become even brighter when she smiled.

"Oh, um, that's quite all right. I wasn't looking where I was going either." Gwen responded shyly, gathering her skirt and picking herself off the ground. The other girl did the same.

"I really am sorry about the flowers. They're beautiful, they do not belong on the floor."

"It's all right, really. There's always more where they came from." Gwen assured her, before holding out her hand. "I'm Gwen and _you_ must be the new princess."

The girl nodded. "I see my reputation precedes me. My name is Aoibhinn and I am happy to have bumped into you. I've been quite lonely all morning, actually."

"Well, that's good news, isn't it? I've been looking for some female company for a while now."

* * *

"Have you always lived in the castle, Gwen?" Aoibhinn asked, picking up the skirt of her dress as they crossed a muddy patch on the road. Gwen looked away, avoiding her new friend's eye.

"Um, no. I actually grew up out here." she answered, looking around at the ordinary people of Camelot, running around, fetching food and water. "My father was a blacksmith. I became a maidservant for the Lady Morgana some years ago now, and have since become a friend of Lord Arthur. He's a good man, insisting I have my own chambers in the castle now that Elyan lives there."

Gwen waited for the typical onslaught, the usual looks of disgust she got from the noble women who found out her heritage. But it never came. Instead, Aoibhinn smiled at her.

"Who is Elyan?"

"My brother. He became a knight last month, just before Arthur became King."

"He must care a lot about you then."

"Who?" Gwen asked, a little confused.

"Arthur, of course! I'm sure he doesn't let just _any _maid stay in the castle, even the sister of his knight. You must mean a lot to him." Gwen pushed her hair back behind her ear, trying to hide her smile as she blushed. "Oh, I don't know about that."

Aoibhinn stopped walking suddenly, causing Gwen to. She turned to Gwen. "You are way too nice, Gwen, and modest. I can see why he must like you. I would like to ask you one question, if it does not bother you?"

"Of course not. Ask away."

"Who is the Lady Morgana?"

* * *

While Gwen was giving the new girl a tour of Camelot that morning, Merlin was in the paddock, watching as Arthur trained with his knights, always ready to pass him new armour or a new weapon when needed. Arthur was currently battling Lancelot, the two quite evenly matched, though Merlin believed the knight wasn't very enthusiastic today. Gwaine, who was standing beside him, was yawning. He had been training as a knight for six weeks now, but was still not used to waking early for work, not that Merlin was very surprised.

"Look who's joined us." he said sleepily, dragging Merlin from his thoughts. He motioned to their left, where Guinevere was standing and giggling with the girl from last night. Aoibhinn, Merlin remembered. Both seemed to be enjoying themselves and from the looks of things, Gwen had found herself a friend.

"She is _beautiful_. Looks so much better then last night." Gwaine said, turning away from the fighting match to watch the women.

"You better not be talking about Gwen, or Arthur is going to kill you." Merlin murmured, smiling at his friend's obsession with the new girl. "Don't you ever get sick of throwing yourself at girls and being rejected by everyone of them?"

"I don't get rejected by _all_ of them."

Merlin gave him a withering look.

"Just most of them then. Oh, don't give me that look Merlin! Just you wait and see. Once she gets to know me, she will be falling all over me."

"Only if she's desperate." Merlin mumbled under his breath, making Gwaine scowl and playfully grab Merlin in a headlock.

"You watch your mouth, Merlin. Not like you can judge anyway. When was the last time a girl looked at _you_?"

"I am deeply offended by your comments, Gwaine. There are plenty-"

"Name three." he interrupted bluntly, holding his fingers out, ready to count. It was Merlin's turn to scowl.

"I can't."

"Ha. I was right."

"No you weren't!"

"Well, it looks like we are about to find out just who the ladies prefer. Looks like they are on their way over."

Looking at the girls, Merlin realised that Gwaine was right. Gwen was currently dragging Aoibhinn over to where they were standing. He sighed deeply. This would give him the perfect opportunity he had been searching for all night, to get to know more about her, not to mention proving Gwaine wrong.

In a matter of moments, they were all standing together.

"Merlin!" she said with a smile, coming over to stand beside him, tugging the slightly shy girl with her.

"Hello Gwen." Merlin replied, smiling back. He smiled at the girl too as his eyes scanned her body, taking her appearance in. Gwaine was right: she did look better this morning. Much better.

"Well hello to you to Guinevere. I am perfectly fine this morning, thank you for asking." said Gwaine sarcastically.

"Hello Gwaine." Gwen replied, rolling her eyes. "I guess I should introduce you _both_ to my new friend. This is-"

"The Lady Aoibhinn." Gwaine answered smirking at Merlin as he bowed deeply to her. "It's a pleasure, milady."

"We were in the court when you arrived last night." Merlin explained after seeing the confused look on the women's faces. "I'm Merlin."

"It is lovely to meet you." Aoibhinn responded, with a slight bow of her head.

"And I am Gwaine." said man whispered seductively, reaching out a hand to take hers. She deliberately moved hers from his reach.

"That's nice." she said, offering an embarrassed smile. Merlin grinned at her. It looked as if he was right about this one. Poor Gwaine never stood a chance.

"Merlin is King Arthur's servant and close friend," Gwen informed her. "though he may refuse to admit it."

"I don't refuse to admit it."

"I meant Arthur, silly. And also Gwaine is one of Arthur's knights."

Gwaine winked mischievously at her. "At your service."

"_You_ are a knight?" Aoibhinn asked incredulously, staring at him. Merlin snickered at her expression while Gwen smothered a giggle.

"I am offended by that comment."

Aoibhinn hid a smile behind her hand. "I apologise, I do not mean to be cruel. It is just, well you do not exactly fit my mind's image of a knight of Camelot."

"I agree with that." Merlin said, laughing aloud. Gwen joined him, no longer able to suppress herself. Gwaine, however, acted hurt.

"I can assure you, Princess, that I am just as good a knight as anyone else here."

"Then why, pray tell, are you standing here talking with two women and a servant? No offence meant of course, Merlin."

"None taken." Merlin murmured, watching amused as the woman insulted his friend.

"I am sorry, but I do not know. Is that common practice for a knight here? For in my Kingdom, knights train hard night and day and do not have the time to be trying to chat up ladies. Kind of like those men over _there_." she continued, motioning to where Arthur was putting the _rest_ of his men through their paces. Gwaine growled in response.

"I can assure you, Lady, that I have earned my place in Camelot and I will not have anyone say otherwise."

She smiled as he glared at her and Gwen, feeling that if they stayed there any longer Gwaine might tear both their heads off, decided it was time to leave. Making excuses for both of them, she pulled her new friend away and back towards the castle.

As he watched them leave, Merlin swung an arm around his own friend's shoulders and laughed.

"Look like I _was _right."

"Doesn't matter now. That girl is coming down."

* * *

**_A/N: _**Only have time for a quick note now, but thank you so much **jade2nightwing **and **Cwam** for being my first reviewers! Also thanks to those who favourited or alerted.

Hope you liked this chapter! It is a little weird, but we're still getting into the story so... If you can, please review and tell me what you thought.

Well until next time, readers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Other Pendragon **

"You are enjoying yourself in Camelot, Lady Aoibhinn?" Arthur asked one day at dinner, several days after she had first arrived in Camelot. Aoibhinn thought about the question. Yes, she was indeed enjoying herself. She had fast become good friends with Gwen and the two were inseparable since the day she had arrived. This had of course put her in great favour with Arthur as he was undeniably happy of the friendship. He believed Gwen to have become lonely since he became king and Morgana had left and the fact that Aoibhinn put a smile on his love's face made him like her very, very much.

Surprisingly, Merlin had become a friend to her as well. At first, he had seemed strange to her, eerie, but as Gwen spent a lot of time with him and as she spent all her time with Gwen, the two saw each other many times and had gradually put their differences aside. She had yet to meet the legendary Gaius, however, Merlin's apparent guardian who had a role to play in many of Gwen and Merlin's stories, and Aoibhinn could _hardly_ wait.

There was only one thing annoying her in Camelot: a certain knight who had the habit of hopping out at the worst possible moments while _attempting_ to be charming. If she wasn't already, she would soon be sick of Gwaine. Didn't he realise that the more he irritated her, the less likelier she would be to give in?

"Yes, my Lord. Camelot has been good to me so far. I have enjoyed myself and it has done me well to be able to take my mind off my problems for a while." she answered, lifting a goblet of wine to her lips and sipping it slowly. Arthur smiled at her.

"That is good. I must admit, I had my motives to asking you to eat with me along tonight." he replied, somewhat nervously. Aoibhinn smothered a smile, looking around the empty dining hall. The long table looked a little ridiculous as they sat at it, they the only two. She had known their must be a reason he had wanted to be alone with her tonight and had already prepared herself for various problems.

"May I ask what they were, my Lord?"

"Of course you can, and call me Arthur. That _my lord_ thing is a little distracting."

Aoibhinn grinned. "Of course, Arthur. But only if you call me, Aoibhinn."

Arthur smiled back. "Thank you. Now, first I wanted to let you know that a feast has been organised in your honour because of your arrival here. It is quite usual for us to throw a big unnecessary party whenever someone new turns up here."

"That is very kind of you. When is it?"

"Three days time." he said and after seeing her frown he added, "I'm sure Gwen will be able to help you find a dress on time."

Her frown barely lifted. "I'm sure she will. What was the second thing you wished to tell me?"

Arthur gulped down his wine quickly, hoping for some instant courage. Feeling a little better, he spoke. "What I really wanted to tell you, why I've asked that we be alone tonight, well I'm sure Gwen or somebody else has told you by now, but you know of my father's condition?"

"Yes. I have heard that he is ill and unable to rule and that is why you have been crowned in his stead."

"That is correct. My father is no longer…in the correct _frame of mind_ to rule Camelot wisely."

"I am sorry, Arthur."

"Please, do not be. It had nothing to do with you." he tried to smile. "It's just, he has, for a little while now, being requesting an audience with Diarmuid's daughter, you. I've been putting it off you see, you have your own troubles to worry about, but I'm afraid it cannot wait any longer."

Aoibhinn took another, longer drink from her goblet. "It is alright, Arthur. I will meet with him, if you wish it."

"I know, but that's not why I'm worried. I cannot prepare you for the things he may say or do while you are in his presence. It's hard to track his mood swings, and I do not want you to be upset by him."

"Arthur, believe it or not I am not made of glass. I'm sure I shall be fine with him for a little while, it takes a lot to break me, I promise."

* * *

Aoibhinn followed Arthur into the bed chambers, closing the heavy wooden door behind them slowly. The room was dark, the curtains unwilling to let in light and there was silence, something she had never experienced in Camelot before. Arthur walked slowly, almost hesitantly in front of her, looking extremely uncomfortable. He led her past a large four-poster bed and into another smaller and slightly brighter room where and old man was sitting, leaning against the door and snoring. Aoibhinn grinned as Arthur reached over to wake him up.

"Gaius! Gaius! We're here to see my father."

The man woke, sleepily staring at Arthur. So this was the Gaius she had heard about. Aoibhinn smiled.

"We?" Gaius asked, standing up to greet them. His eyes slid to Aoibhinn. "You must be this Princess I keep on hearing about."

"And you must be Gaius." she answered, stepping forward to greet him with a kiss on each cheek. An eyebrow was raised but the action was allowed to continue. "Merlin and Gwen have told me a lot about you."

"I can assure you it's all lies."

Aoibhinn smiled. "Your work with plants and rocks sounds _fascinating._"

"Yes, well, I'm not surprised you think so. Your mother was quite the experimenter, if I remember correctly."

The smile fell off her face as her eyes narrowed. "No, I'm afraid you must be thinking of someone else. My mother was a noble woman. She would never have been caught holding anything associated with dirt."

Gaius scratched his head embarrassingly. "Oh my dear I am sorry! The memory isn't as it used to be. I must be confusing you with someone else."

Aoibhinn looked away. "Did you know my father, Gaius?"

"Yes, for a little while, though I cannot say I remember much about him. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I'm just curious."

They stared at each other for a little while before Arthur interrupted. "Aoibhinn actually came with me this evening Gaius to meet with my father. Is it okay to do so?"

Gaius tore his eyes from the girl and looked at the King. "Yes, of course, my Lord. Everything should be fine. Just walk on through and I shall meet you when you are finished."

"Thank you, Gaius." Arthur said, moving forward and beckoning to Aoibhinn. Once again she followed him, through a door and into one final chamber. Sitting in this chamber was something she had not expected: an ill Uther. Yes, she had heard of just how bad his condition was, but she had not expected him to be in _this _bad state.

He was sitting by the window when they entered, pulling and playing with the heavy drapes. His form was withered, his posture bad and never had Aoibhinn seen someone of such high stature so thin. His skin was grey and more wrinkled than ever and from the tired look in his eyes, she guessed that he had not slept well in many nights. She could definitely see why Arthur had taken control of the Kingdom.

"Father." said Arthur, sending a hesitant look at Aoibhinn before walking over to him. "I have brought the Lady Aoibhinn, as you asked."

"Who is the Lady Aoibhinn?" the old king murmured, continuing to look into the dark drapes. Arthur gulped.

"King Diarmuid's daughter. From Hibernia."

Finally, Uther turned to look at her, his once piercing eyes softening as he looked at her. He tried to lift himself from the chair but his frail body wouldn't allow it until Arthur helped. He smiled slowly and for the first time, Aoibhinn could see the old ruler of Camelot in him.

"Welcome, my Lady." he exclaimed weakly, grasping in the darkness for her hand. She gave it to him. "I wish to see your father again. Did he come with you?"

Aoibhinn looked over at Arthur, eyebrows raised. He shrugged.

"No, my lord. He is home. He had much business to attend to."

"A pity. I do miss him." Uther answered, peering at the girl closely. "Have we met before, Lady? You seem so familiar to me."

Aoibhinn bit her lip, trying not to scowl. She barely managed a smile. "No, I don't believe we have. I might be an awful lot like my father, maybe?"

"Perhaps that is it. Come now anyway and feast with me! Tell me all of your stories of Hibernia. I have not had good company in a long time."

* * *

It was an hour later when they finally left Gaius alone with Uther and Arthur was watching Aoibhinn closely, trying to determine what she had made of his father. Finally, he broke their silence.

"I'm sorry if he has upset you. It is hard to get used to him being like that." he said when they were back in his chambers and seated on his bed. She shook her head.

"It is fine. Does Gaius stay with him always?"

"Most of the time, during the day unless it cannot be helped. At night, he is watched by guards while Gaius rests."

"It is a sad life."

"Yet there's no other way. He could be a danger to others, let alone himself. He is not…_right _in the head, Aoibhinn. His mind troubles him with nightmares and lost memories."

"Yes, I had noticed. What made him so, Arthur?"

"That, we are not so sure of. I believe Gaius knows, but he refuses to tell me. I fear some sort of magic was involved."

Silence fell in the room once more as she nodded her agreement. He sighed.

"I must ask you one last thing, Aoibhinn."

"Anything, Arthur."

* * *

When Arthur and Aoibhinn left, Gaius returned to Uther and begun to settle him in for the night.

"Did you have a good time with Arthur and the princess, my Lord?" he asked as he tucked the sheets of the bed around him.

"Yes." replied Uther, after some thought. "She is beautiful."

"Indeed she is."

"But she reminds me of someone. Someone I met in a dream, I think."

Gaius paused and looked down at his old friend. Uther had been losing himself for many days now, and comments such as these were not unusual, but this time, his words stopped Gaius and thoughts began to gather in his mind.

"Strange that you think so, Uther. I thought the very same thing."

* * *

**_A/N: _**Dun dun duh! So, don't know if you got that but Gaius doesn't trust A. I wonder why...actually i don't. Know why? CAUSE I KNOW. *ahem* Sorry, just a teeny bit giddy today.

Not sure if i liked this chap and it's probably horribly written, but it had to be done. Explains a little about how Arthur is now king. If anyone's confused, just ask. I don't think i'm explaining things right.

Anyways, thank you to all my lovely reviewers last time around! **OOjuniperberry**,** asdf**, **Cwam**, **GrayShoedWonder** and **Ryn of Magic**. It means a lot that you took the time to review. Thanks also to my alerters and favouriters.

Oh and Ryn asked if there would be a pairing. The answer is yes. What one? Well, you'll just have to keep on reading to find out... ;D

Well, thanks for reading! If you have the time, please drop a little message using the little box down there. :) Until next time...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Feastings  
**

Aoibhinn sat in front of the looking glass, her hands folded underneath her chin. Her brow furrowed as she took in her appearance, the one she and Gwen had spent an hour perfecting for the feast tonight. As it was in her honour, she knew she had to make a good impression or she would be under constant scrutiny for the rest of her stay, something she _definitely _did not want.

"Are you _sure _I look okay, Gwen?" she asked for the fifth time, making Gwen roll her eyes with a smile.

"You look beautiful, Aoibhinn, as always."

The princess smiled at her friend. She knew it was true, that she looked good, but Aoibhinn mostly put it down to the gorgeous purple dress that felt as though it was made for her.

"Where did you say you got this dress from, Gwen?" she inquired, fingering the soft material of its folds. She didn't see Gwen hesitate behind her.

"It was the Lady Morgana's."

* * *

Merlin rubbed his temples, attempting to drive away the tired pain that was haunting his head. The noise of the hall did not help his headache, serving only to make it sorer. Why did people have to talk so loudly?

"God Merlin. Look any worse and people will think I've been treating you like a slave." Arthur said, drifting away from the bulk of the guests to stand by his friend. Merlin glared at him. "What?"

"Arthur, you _do _treat me like a slave."

"Oh yeah." the king replied, a goofy grin on his face. "Well, at least try to look happy about it."

Merlin threw another annoyed look in his direction but didn't reply.

* * *

Aoibhinn entered the chamber, looking around nervously. Gwen had just abandoned her at the door with the excuse of needing to find Arthur, which annoyed her a little. Arthur wasn't the one who would be eaten alive by all these nobles, interested in learning every little bit of information about his life! As annoyed as she was, Aoibhinn couldn't stay mad at her for long. Something made her think that Gwen was a little nervous of these nobles herself.

"You look terrified." a voice said from behind her. She spun on her heel and spotted Gwaine leaning against a wall. She almost didn't recognise him, for once. His hair was well kept, his face washed and he was dressed in a knight's formal attire. She hated to admit it but good looks suited him. Just a little.

He pushed himself off the wall and came to stand before her. "You look beautiful too." he murmured with a grin, lifting her hand and kissed it. He was shocked when she didn't pull away.

"I am not terrified." she replied, glancing at him.

"Really, Princess? You do realise that your holding my hand, don't you?"

Seeing that he was right, she pulled her hand away quickly. "Okay, so I may get a little nervous around rich people." She turned around and begun walking on through the crowd. He followed with a frown on his face.

"But, you're a princess? Don't you deal with rich snobs all the time?" he asked, a little confused. She paused again to look at him.

"Exactly why I have reason to hate them."

"But _you're_ a rich snob too."

Growling, she pushed on again, moving further and further away from him. He didn't even attempt to follow her this time.

* * *

Merlin was still leaning against the wall when he seen Aoibhinn approaching, the skirts of her dress gathered in hand to make her passage easier. She looked furious, something which surprised Merlin. This feast was in her honour, was it not? Shouldn't she be happy? He thought women liked these kinds of things….

"Merlin, have you seen Gwen?" she asked, almost accusingly when she reached him. He swallowed before answering.

"I think I seen her slipping away with Arthur, a little while ago." he said, a little hesitantly. She whimpered, not unlike a little girl and flopped down into the chair beside him. Merlin bit his lip to stop himself from laughing as she buried her head into his waist.

"She has abandoned me!"

"How so?" he inquired, settling further into the wall to support both their weight.

"She has left me alone to deal with everyone here! People are asking me all sorts of questions that I do not know how to answer! Old and horrible men telling me they would like a dance later! Oh I do not know anyone here except her, and well _you_ and Arthur and some of those knights vaguely and of course _Gwaine_-"

"That sounds like a lot of people, actually."

"Yes but Gwaine is the only one whom I have found! Well, _he _found _me _and I have now found you, but…Oh Merlin, I know I probably sound like a spoilt little fool, but I could just really do with some female company and comfort right now."

Merlin chuckled softly. "Well, I'm sorry I can't be a girl for you." She lifted her head to look at him as he laughed, a smile escaping onto her face despite her determination.

"I am sorry, Merlin. These people just annoy me so."

"It'll get better when the feast starts."

"And when is that?"

* * *

For the feast, Aoibhinn found herself seated at the Royal table, hardly surprising when she was the guest of honour. Thankfully, she sat between Arthur and Gwen, who had _eventually_ reappeared after their absence, but they did not stop the prying eyes from watching her from all over the hall.

Much to her frustration, the feast did not last very long at all and soon, after several toasts and courses of food, it was over. The men in the hall worked together to push back the tables to create space for dancing and the court musicians begun to play, making Aoibhinn groan again.

If Aoibhinn had thought the gathering bad before, she was wrong. Once the music started, she was laid with requests upon requests to dance from most of the men in the hall, young and old. Arthur saved her the first time, stating that as he was the king and she his guest, he would have the first dance. After that came the knight Lancelot, then Gwen's brother Elyan, then Percival and even Merlin (that had been a funny dance). But Aoibhinn was learning that the rules of Camelot were different then at home. It was well known that one could only dance with a person once, unless the two were married or due to be, a rule that all her new suitors were eager to exploit.

Some of the men she had danced with were not bad, quite the opposite in fact, always polite and honest but there were others that, had Aoibhinn been at home in her own Kingdom, would not still be standing.

One such person had just approached her, a man that looked old enough to be her father (well, maybe not _her_ father, but someone's father, nonetheless). He was currently telling her all about his so called riches and the wonderful gifts he could bestow upon her. Aoibhinn was having a hard time staying nice and holding her tongue, almost tempted into retorting and telling him that she was a _princess_ and that there was probably little that he could give her that she didn't already have. But there were bigger problems and said princess was trying to formulate a plan, an excuse that she could use to escape the feast. She was feeling ill, an urgent message had just come from home, a dragon was ravaging her room…..

"Excuse me, my Lord but I'm afraid I shall have to take the Princess from you. Lord Arthur has asked me to pass along a serious message to her in private."

Aoibhinn glanced up quickly at the familiar voice: Gwaine. Her eyes widened and she accepted his hand as the man grumbled, obviously annoyed at the loss of his audience. She leapt at the opportunity to leave, allowing him to lead her far away and onto the dancing floor. Gwaine may have annoyed the hell out of her, but he was a damn sight better than most of the people that had come to court her.

"What did Arthur want you to tell me?" she asked once they were amongst all the other couples, his hands taking hers in his. For the first time since they had met, she didn't mind the contact.

He snorted. "I haven't spoken to Arthur since the start of the evening." Aoibhinn grinned up at him unexpectedly. "Are you telling me, Gwaine, that you, a knight of Camelot, _lied_?" she exclaimed in mock horror as he twirled her. He grinned back.

"Maybe just a little."

"I'm horrified!"

"Hey, I saved you! You owe me, Princess."

"I did _not _need saving."

"Your face was telling a different story."

She scrunched her face up in defeat before smiling again. "I cannot believe I am saying this, but thank you Gwaine. I didn't realise before tonight that there are more annoying people in Camelot than you."

The song ended and a new one started but instead of releasing her, he kept on dancing with her. She looked questioningly at him.

"I thought we were only supposed to dance once?" Smirking, he replied. "Do I look like I give a damn about what is proper and what isn't?"

Smiling wider, she allowed him to twirl her again.

* * *

**_A/N: _**A quick update because i am on a week's holidays from school. Yes, i have three projects that need to be done for Monday, but this was so much more interesting. :)

Thanks to my reviewers **Cwam **and **Ryn of Magic**. You are awesome. (: Thanks also to everyone who alerts, favourites and continues to read. It's nice to look at this story's hits and see that people are reading and enjoying, so thanks. **  
**

So what did you think of this chapter? I think it was a little rushed and thrown together, but don't worry, it's not totally important, just a little fluff to lighten my black heart. :) As always i'm open to all comments, advice, criticism, anything you feel like throwing at me. Next chapter starts to introduce the sword, and the story starts to kick off. Thanks for reading and see you at the next update.


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